Chapter 83
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Chapter 83
"Just one day off, sir."
I overheard Baraha's voice as I passed the Vice Commander's Office. I paused and listened carefully. Baron was clicking his tongue in response.
"You know how busy we are right now, and you're asking for time off? What for?"
"I'm going to visit Cadet Echinacea Loaz."
"...So you're abandoning your busy commander for your romantic pursuits?"
"I'll work harder when I return. Please, just one day."
"So you're not working hard now?"
"No, I mean I'll work even harder!"
"You really like her that much?"
"Yes."
"What does she think of you?"
"I'm not sure yet. I need to try harder. So please, sir, just one day off."
When Baraha answered confidently, Baron let out a chuckle. Without realizing it, I clenched my teeth. I envied how easily he could lay bare his feelings and speak of his efforts. Even if I cleared away all the complicated circumstances strangling me, I still carried a debt of guilt toward her that demanded confession.
"Wait a moment, the remaining work...."
Baron rustled through documents. I glanced down at what I held in my hands—work I'd brought to complete beforehand since I'd soon need to depart to rescue the Saint. There was quite a bit of it.
My body moved faster than my thoughts. I knocked on the Vice Commander's Office door and opened it.
"Baron."
"Yes, Commander."
"Handle these as well, would you?"
I placed the documents on Baron's desk. His face paled at the sheer volume.
"That's quite a lot."
"The long-term mission I mentioned before leaves me short on time. Since it's just festival preparations and nothing difficult, it would be fine to have Baraha work alongside you to become more familiar with paperwork."
This time, Baraha's face standing beside me turned pale. Baron harbored no suspicion of me claiming insufficient time. How could he? I had been nothing but diligent until now. Even when the squires and cadets were out of their minds after being swallowed by the Nodule, I'd kept up with my duties without fail.
"Understood, Commander. Baraha, I'm sorry, but I can't grant you leave."
"...Yes, sir...."
"My apologies. Work hard."
I handed off the work and left the Vice Commander's Office. The Holy Sword offered criticism as if exasperated.
[How childish. What are you doing?]
Knowing full well that my own actions were nothing but petty jealousy, I remained silent.
Days passed like that. Unlike the Holy Sword, the Diasant Princess didn't rush me. She spent her time quietly in the space allotted to her, then suddenly moved one day. The direct informant I'd assigned to watch the princess came to find me and reported it.
"She appears to be heading to the Wisdom Club meeting place."
"Wisdom Club? The one Echinacea Loaz belongs to?"
"Yes. It seems her purpose is to see her. Also, here are the investigation results on Bred von Poum that you ordered previously."
"Good work."
I tucked the envelope the informant handed me into the back of a drawer and immediately rose from my seat. I didn't know what purpose the Diasant Princess had in meeting Echinacea, but I hoped they wouldn't meet. As I headed toward the Military Academy, I spotted the Diasant Princess on her way back.
"Did you have any other choice, sir?"
"If I decided to abandon Rangiosa... my range of choices would become quite broad."
Telling Rosalind Diasante that was half impulse, but it was also a means I'd been considering in my heart.
I couldn't abandon Rangiosa because I needed to maintain my memories. But the others don't know I have such a reason. It would appear I could abandon it whenever I wished. Losing the Holy Sword wouldn't make me cease being a Master, nor would it force me to immediately step down as Commander of the Changtian Knights. Even without Rangiosa, I could overwhelm the other Giosa Owners. This fact was one weapon I could use if I ever needed to refuse the engagement.
After sending off the Diasant Princess, Yurien de Harden Kirie headed toward the Military Academy. He had deliberately avoided seeking out Echinacea Loaz since the appointment ceremony, knowing that seeing her again would shatter the fragile composure he had barely managed to maintain. Yet this time, concern gnawed at him relentlessly—he could bear it no longer.
She was walking with her roommate, Alice Winterbell. Her face, turned toward Alice, appeared at ease and delighted. That expression stiffened the moment she noticed him.
She dislikes me. Yurien reaffirmed this truth anew. After sending Alice away, Echinacea didn't even lift her gaze when they were alone. A cold stone rolled through his chest. Yet despite everything, seeing her after mere days filled him with such joy that his entire being burned with warmth.
"Echinacea?"
"I—I'm sorry. I didn't hear you."
Joy and sorrow intertwined. The tangled emotions tilted entirely toward pain when she failed to even catch his words. Did she truly not wish to hear what stood directly before her? So there was not even a thread of possibility. The realization struck like a blade.
He concealed his inner turmoil and continued speaking. Words fell hollow between them. At the mention of disputes between clubs, he suddenly recalled the report on Bred von Poum that his informant had submitted earlier. He would need to review and handle that matter upon his return.
"If there is anything you wish me to do, I can begin my squire duties immediately."
"No, there is nothing of the sort. Please take sufficient rest. I apologize for taking your time."
Yurien spoke as formally as possible and hastened to end the conversation. He should leave now, yet his feet would not move. She remained with her head bowed throughout.
Did she find even facing him unbearable? He had thought things were improving gradually, yet why this? Because she had discovered he possessed memories? Because he had carelessly embraced her immediately after emerging from the Nodule? Perhaps he had behaved strangely in his delirium then.
Or had the question he posed at the appointment ceremony wounded her? She could hardly have taken great interest in his engagement, so that was unlikely the cause. Countless suppositions arose and sank within him. His gaze lingered long upon her brow. He wanted to meet her eyes.
[What are you doing after already exchanging greetings? You decided to give up anyway, so lingering will only leave regrets. The Demonic Sword Owner doesn't seem uncomfortable with you either. Let's go.]
The Holy Sword urged him onward. If he turned away now, he would soon depart on a long-term mission, and upon his return, he would be engaged. He would completely surrender her. He did not wish for that. A bestial emotion clawed at his insides, shrieking. That beast's cry transformed into language and burst forth.
"Echinacea. Is it unpleasant for you to face me?"
Of course it would be unpleasant, and answering would be awkward for her. It was a needlessly vexing question. The moment the words left his lips, he regretted them.
"It's not unpleasant. It's not that I dislike it...."
Echinacea lifted her head. He felt joy that she finally faced him, and her face, seen after mere days, was so beautiful he could not tear his eyes away. She seemed to have lost some weight. Had the illness been that severe? Where could she possibly grow any thinner? He found himself hoping desperately that she would not strain herself further.
Because of this, he was slightly slow to register the unexpected answer she gave. Not that she disliked it? Could it be true? Or was it merely courtesy toward her Lord? He felt his eyes tremble involuntarily. If she did not dislike it, then there was possibility, was there not?
"If it is not displeasure, then why do you not look at me?"
He was pathetic, grasping for possibility in such trivial words. Could he truly not bear to let go? Yurien laughed at himself even as he watched her. He had expected her to avert her gaze, stiffen her expression, or show discomfort. Yet none of his predictions proved correct.
Echinacea's face flushed crimson. Yurien had never seen her like this. Flushed as she was, she spoke.
"Because you're beautiful."
"...."
[...What?]
All his anguish and torment until that moment evaporated with those words. With a mind utterly emptied, Yurien stared at her blankly.
She, flushed and gazing at him, suddenly startled and averted her eyes. Her expression crumbled in confusion. She looked as though she wished to snatch back her words and vanish entirely. She seemed on the verge of tears. She was embarrassed. It was maddeningly adorable.
This series of reactions proved he had not misheard. Yurien, his mind still vacant, replayed what he had heard.
'She didn't avoid me because she disliked me... but because I'm beautiful... she avoided me?'
So she did not dislike him. It meant his face pleased her enough to embarrass her. Suddenly the world seemed to brighten. Something soft, warm, and tingling swelled within his chest and spread throughout his entire being. His body felt as though it might float away.
She did not dislike him. She did not dislike him at all. He could not suppress his laughter. Yurien laughed aloud. Echinacea's face flushed deeper because of it, yet even that was so endearing that his lips would not fall.
Could despair transform into such heights of joy so simply? His happiness was beyond control. It was not he who governed his emotions, but she. He realized once more that the center of his world had shifted from himself to another—to her.
'I cannot give up.'
Beyond his laughter, Yurien's resolve hardened with certainty. He could not give up. He could not possibly give up. Already changed, it was impossible to return to the time before knowing her. He wanted her. Since she did not dislike him, he could not be the first to let her go.
Upon realizing he could not surrender, his determination crystallized. If facing him brought her no pain, he would approach her more actively. He wanted it to be he who stood beside her, who made her happy. If one desired something, should one not strive to achieve it?
"Echinacea."
"Y—yes! I apologize, Lord. I was momentarily distracted...."
"No, it's fine. Rather...."
If he departed on the long-term mission, he would be unable to remain at her side. Upon his return, circumstances would tighten around him like a noose. Before that happened, he needed to confirm the possibility—whether she might choose him. With mere possibility, he could accomplish anything.
Without being at her side, effort itself became impossible. Yet he could not abandon the Saint to perish, so canceling the mission entirely was out of the question. However, if she were to accompany him on this mission, she would become certain that she possessed memories of his past.
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Brought to you by Valir Scans! To support our team and enjoy the latest releases, please read directly on our official site: valirscans.org
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